How To Download On Utorrent With Vpn

As we're sure you're aware, setting upwardly a VPN for torrenting volition ensure you stay safe. A VPN server hides your existent IP address so that peers can't see your actual location, and information technology encrypts your internet traffic, which stops your ISP from finding out that you are using a torrent site.

In this guide, we show you how to set up a VPN on a BitTorrent client. Nosotros embrace how to practice this on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Nosotros'll likewise show you how to verify that your VPN is working, and then you don't get any nasty surprises, and provide you with some handy tips for getting the almost out of your VPN.

Desire to torrent on another device?

If y'all wish to torrent on another platform, delight check out our guides on how to do so in Android, Chrome Bone, and fifty-fifty iOS (iPhone and iPad).

Select a VPN service

Sign up to a VPN service, then download its software, install it, run it, and connect to a server of your choosing. We recommend ExpressVPN because It is the best service for torrenting. It provides users with fast servers, reliability, and it is super secure.

We accept detailed VPN setup guides for install a VPN on multiple devices, encounter the links below if yous want more information:
- Install VPN on Windows
- Install VPN on macOS
- Install VPN on Linux
Please annotation: The most of import affair when choosing a VPN for torrenting is to pick one that allows P2P. Nearly do, and in doing then, they endeavor to shield their users from copyright enforcers and provide special servers optimized for torrenting.

Unfortunately, some don't. These services may cancel your subscription, or fifty-fifty hand your details over upon receipt of a DMCA-style notice.

Delight cheque out Best VPNs for torrenting for a list of our favorite VPNs which permit torrenting.
Enable your VPN's kill switch

A "kill switch" prevents your device from accessing the internet if your VPN stops working. The feature is nearly always firewall-based and might be called something else, such equally "Network lock" or even merely "Firewall."

It is a particularly useful tool for torrenters because they often leave their computers downloading and seeding unattended for hours at a time. During this catamenia, your VPN connection could drop out, which would leave your IP address exposed.

Please note: If you lot can't run across a kill switch option in your VPN client, contact your provider to ask if one is built-in, modify provider, or use a torrent client that features binding to the VPN interface. We will discuss this characteristic later in this article.

Linux users face the problem that very few VPN services offer defended Linux VPN clients, making information technology more difficult to use the much-needed kill switch. Instead, Linux users will either need to narrow their option to those that do cater to the platform, such as AirVPN and Mullvad, or implement their own solution.

Top tip: You can create your own impale switch in Linux using iptables, or use the demark torrent client to the VPN interface fudge discussed later.
Download and install a BitTorrent customer

There are lots of adept BitTorrent clients out there. We favor qBitTorrent because it is open source, lightweight, fully featured, and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. And it tin can exist bound to the VPN interface.
Visit a torrent site

If y'all are not certain where to look, Google (or better yet, DuckDuckGo) is your friend. Many ISPs block torrent sites, so there's a very skilful chance you'll need a VPN running but to access them.

Although not true of all sites, many public torrent sites are quite "spammy." Pop-ups and inappropriate ads can be kept under control using a good adblocker. If yous're not sure what site to use, check out our all-time torrent sites article for a list of the best in 2022.
Start downloading a torrent

Once you have constitute the content yous desire, click on its magnet link or download its torrent file.

Please notation: The IP address shown in a higher place belongs to our VPN server and is not our real IP!

Magnet links incorporate all the information needed in the link, rather than in the .torrent file. They are, therefore, a boon for torrent sites, as they don't demand to host .torrent files. It makes little departure which option y'all go for from the perspective of the end-user, though, every bit all modern BitTorrent clients back up both methods.
Seed

Good netiquette demands that y'all seed torrents you lot accept downloaded so that other users can too download them. Some communities even make it a requirement to participate. To do this, simply get out the torrent running in your BitTorrent client later on y'all have finished downloading it.

Information technology'due south worth remembering that the Peers tab of your BitTorrent client provides graphic evidence almost why y'all need to utilize a VPN when torrenting. It shows you the IP address of every other torrent user who is sharing (downloading or seeding) a file.

Scary stuff! But if y'all are using a VPN, you have nothing to worry nigh, as peers will run across your VPN server'south IP address instead of your real IP.
Port forwarding (optional)

If your VPN service uses a NAT firewall (most do) and if it offers the feature (many don't), then you may want to port forward through the NAT firewall. Port forwarding will probably ameliorate your torrenting speeds, but doing so is about definitely non essential. To observe out more about the pros and cons of port forwarding, consummate with instructions on how to do it, delight see our guide to VPN Port Forwarding.

How to test your VPN is working before yous torrent

The easy style

It is now easier than ever to bank check if your VPN is working properly, cheers to ProPrivacy'due south leak testing tool. While you don't need to worry nigh DNS and WebRTC leaks, as these are issues with your browser, and IPv6 usually needs to be enabled manually, y'all can check all of these alongside IPv4 at the click of a button.

Test Your VPN for Leaks

Simply follow the steps below to confirm that your VPN is working:

Click the button above.
Disconnect from your VPN and click Proceed.
Y'all'll be prompted to allow us to admission your location.

This is needed to continue, as it volition provide us with your original IP accost, only nosotros do not retain this data on our servers.
Click Yes to motion on if your location is right. Click No if this data is wrong and go on to choose your location manually.
Connect to any server on your VPN.
The results will display automatically.

If you encounter a dark-green checkmark, and so that is all there is to it. Yous are protected as expected. If any outcome does announced, however, it is best not to torrent until things have been resolved.

The paranoid manner

Simply checking that you accept no IPv4 leaks, as described in a higher place, is sufficient to show that your VPN is working properly for torrenting. If you have a stricter threat model, however, then you can double-bank check specifically for torrenting using the ipMagnet tool.

Visit the ipMagnet web page and click on the Magnet Link to open up a dummy torrent download in your BitTorrent client.
A few seconds later on, you lot should see the IP address trying to download the dummy torrent file on the ipMagnet web folio. This should belong to your VPN server and should differ to your ISP's IP address. To confirm this, disconnect from your VPN and use our what is my IP tool.

How to test for speed

There are likewise many variables in play when information technology comes to torrent download speeds to isolate the effect using a VPN has on them. The nigh important of these are:

How many peers are seeding the torrent you are downloading. The more sources you accept, the faster your download speeds will be. There is not much you tin can do most this except choose torrents that take a skilful seed (number of uploaders) / leech (number of downloaders) ratio. Most torrent websites clearly show these figures.
How much upload bandwidth you take (and are allowing the BitTorrent client to utilise). The BitTorrent protocol is designed to encourage sharing past rewarding those who share more with higher download speeds.

All BitTorrent clients allow you to specify how much upload bandwidth they can use for seeding, although this is express by any plan y'all have purchased with your ISP.
A VPN that uses a NAT firewall may restrict incoming connections, which reduces the number of peers you take, and therefore limits your upload speeds. This is why you might desire to consider using port forwarding if your VPN uses a NAT firewall and supports the feature.

How to exam the kill switch

Connect your VPN.
Offset your BitTorrent client. We advise performing this test when only legal torrents are running.
Disconnect your VPN.
Bank check your BitTorrent client. All downloads should have ceased - if they haven't then the kill switch isn't working.

How to demark your client to VPN interface

Binding your BitTorrent client to the VPN interface acts as a customer-merely kill switch, preventing it from downloading (and uploading) torrents unless the VPN connection is active.

qBittorrent and Vuze are the only BitTorrent clients we know of to support this feature, although it is possible others exist.

In qBitTorrent

Become to Tools -> Preferences -> Avant-garde. Side by side to Network Interface select the proper name of your VPN adapter. If using OpenVPN, the VPN adapter will exist labeled TAP or TUN.

Binding VPN to torrent interface

In Vuze

Go to Tools -> Options -> Mode and select Avant-garde under User Proficiency.
Go to Connexion -> Avant-garde Network Settings and await through the list for your VPN connexion. If using OpenVPN, the VPN adapter volition be labeled TAP or TUN. Make a notation of the connexion name (eth6 in the case shown below).
Become to the elevation of the list and enter the interface proper noun in the Bind to localIPaddressorinterface dialog box.
Caput down to the bottom of the list and check Enforce IP bindings fifty-fifty when interfaces are not available
Click Salvage and get out Options.